AUTHOR=Schuck Sabrina E. B. , Johnson Heather L. , Abdullah Maryam M. , Stehli Annamarie , Fine Aubrey H. , Lakes Kimberley D. 

TITLE=The Role of Animal Assisted Intervention on Improving Self-Esteem in Children With Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pediatrics

VOLUME=Volume 6 - 2018

YEAR=2018

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pediatrics/articles/10.3389/fped.2018.00300

DOI=10.3389/fped.2018.00300

ISSN=2296-2360

ABSTRACT=Self-esteem across multiple domains as measured by the Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPPC; Harter, 1985; 2012) was evaluated in a recently completed randomized controlled trail examining Animal Assisted Intervention (AAI) with dogs for children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AHD) (n= 80, ages 7-9, 71% male).  Baseline, mean ratings across all domains of the SPPC were consistent with that of published means for same age peers.  All children rated themselves favorably, resulting in a non-normal distribution of scores.  To test the hypothesis that AAI improves self-esteem, stratified Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Tests (SAS NPAR1WAY procedure) were used to compare pre- to post-treatment ratings. Analyses indicated that scores of children’s self-perceptions in the domains of behavioral conduct, social, and scholastic competence, were significantly increased from baseline to post-treatment in the AAI group (Z = -2.320, p = .021, Z = -2.631, p = .008 and Z = -2.541, p = .011, respectively), whereas pre-post-treatment differences in self-perceptions were not found for the children in the treatment group without dogs.  Findings for each SPPC sub-scale and respective correlations to skills of Executive Function (EF) and parent ratings of behavior are discussed.  Immediate future directions include examining associations between improved self-perception and observed self-regulation in the course of intervention.